The 11th Rozstaje Crossroads festival is underway in the southern city of Krakow. The festival showcases traditional music acts from across the world, not least from Poland itself.

Click on the audio icon above to listen to the report by John Beauchamp.

The festival is one of Kraków’s and Poland’s, most well-known traditional music festivals. Now in it’s 11th year, questions about the commercialisation of music still abound. Jan Słowiński is the head of the festival since its inception. “The idea behind the festival is to try and create a forum in which all aspects of traditional music are touched upon, and for traditional music artists,” the director muses, continuing “ […] if something is not commercial, it doesn’t mean automatically that it is good, likewise, if something is commercial, it doesn’t mean that it must be bad […]”, commenting on the choice of artists this year.

The emphasis on Polish highlander music is very real, and keeping such a góral, or highlander, tradition alive is all too important for Krzysztof Trebunia-Tutka, of the Trebunie-Tutki highlander band, who are playing with the Jamaican act the Twinkle Brothers during the festival.

The Rozstaje crossroads festival is also bringing world-renowned Tunisian singer and master Arabian lutist Dhafer Youssef to Krakow, and his concert with Jarosław Bester in Krakow’s Philharmonic Hall is sure to keep music lovers on the edge of their seats. Folk music is maybe not all that popular, but nurturing traditional melodies and the very traditions out of which they are born are perhaps the most important things that can be learnt.

More information can be found at www.rozstaje.pl.